Although films can have favorable optical and physical properties, one limitation of some films is that they can incur damage to their surfaces, such as scratching, denting and particle contamination, during manufacturing, handling, transport and use. Such defects, especially in films such as optical films, can render the films unusable or can necessitate their use only in combination with additional diffusers in order to hide the defects from the viewer. Protecting films from incurring damage and eliminating, reducing or hiding defects on optical films is particularly important in displays that are typically viewed at close distance for extended periods of time.